Keiynan Lonsdale

Keiynan Lonsdale (born 19 December 1991) is an Australian actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter. He is known for roles such as Oliver Lloyd on the ABC series Dance Academy (2012–2013), and Wally West/Kid Flash on The CW series The Flash (2015–2020) and Legends of Tomorrow (2017–2018). He is also known for film roles in The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015), The Finest Hours (2016), and Love, Simon (2018). Lonsdale has also worked as an MTV VJ and released original music recordings, including a studio album in 2020.

Keiynan Lonsdale
Lonsdale at CLEO Bachelors in 2012
Born (1991-12-19) 19 December 1991
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Occupation
  • Actor
  • dancer
  • singer-songwriter
Years active2007–present
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Musical career
Genres

Early life

Lonsdale was born in Sydney to a Nigerian father of Edo descent and an Australian mother of Irish and Danish descent.[3][4] He has eleven siblings.[5]

Career

Lonsdale's first acting job was in 2007, with a dancing part in the film Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance. The following year, he appeared in an episode of the Australian television medical drama All Saints. Lonsdale became a recurring member of the cast of the Australian teen drama series Dance Academy in the 2012 second season as the character Oliver Lloyd, who became a regular in the third and final season.

Lonsdale was a VJ on MTV for two and a half years.[6] He released a single on iTunes titled "One and Only" in 2014. He then played a supporting role as Uriah Pedrad in The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015), the second film in the series,[7] later briefly reprising said role in The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016). In 2016, his single "Higher" was included on Connor Franta's curated album Common Culture, volume 5.[8] Lonsdale next appeared in the historical drama The Finest Hours (2016) as Eldon Hanon, the youngest sailor involved in a rescue at sea.

In 2015, Lonsdale auditioned for the role of Jefferson Jackson, but the role was given to Franz Drameh.[9] Instead, he was cast as Wally West (the previously unknown son of Joe West) on CW's The Flash and became a regular supporting character in season two and as Kid Flash in season three.[10] In 2017, the character left The Flash and debuted on season three of Legends of Tomorrow.[11] That year, Lonsdale also appeared in an episode of Supergirl.[12]

In 2018, Lonsdale starred as Bram in the film Love, Simon, based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli about a teenage boy who struggles to come out. Lonsdale later said the role helped in coming to terms with his own sexuality.[13] Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics,[14] and was dubbed historically significant, as it is the first film ever released by a major studio to focus on a gay teenage romance.[15][16]

In 2019, Lonsdale starred in Camila Cabello's music video for "Liar".[17] He has also released musical recordings, including "Higher" in 2015, "Good Life" in 2017, "Kiss The Boy" in 2018, and "Preach" in 2018. Lonsdale also released a single "Rainbow Dragon" in 2019.[18]

Personal life

Lonsdale has been described as queer,[19] but does not self-identify with a specific sexuality label.[19]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details
Rainbow Boy

Extended plays
Title Album details
Higher Vol. 1
  • Released: 6 October 2015[21]
  • Format: Digital download

Singles
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"One and Only"[22] 2014 Non-album single
"Higher"[23] 2015 Higher Vol. 1
"Good Life"[23] 2017 Non-album singles
"Kiss the Boy"[24] 2018
"Preach"[25]
"Rainbow Dragon"[26] 2019 Rainbow Boy
"Gay Street Fighter"[27] 2020
"See You There"
(with Castelle)[28]		 N/A
"Rhythm & Music"[29] 2021 Rainbow Boy
"Gods Of The Disco" 2021 Non-album singles

Filmography
Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance Miss Elizabeth's Dance Troupe
2015 The Divergent Series: Insurgent Uriah Pedrad
2016 The Finest Hours Eldon Hanon
The Divergent Series: Allegiant Uriah Pedrad
2017 Dance Academy: The Movie Oliver Lloyd
Like. Share. Follow. Garrett
2018 Love, Simon Bram Greenfeld
2020 Work It Julliard Pembroke [30]
TBA Weetzie Bat Duck
Television
Year Title Role Network Notes
2008 All Saints Corey Seven Network Episode: "Sons and Lovers"
2012–2013 Dance Academy Oliver Lloyd ABC1 Recurring role (season 2); main role (season 3)
2015–2018, 2020 The Flash Wally West / Kid Flash The CW Main role (seasons 2–4), special guest star (season 5–6)
2017–2018 Legends of Tomorrow Main role (season 3);[31][11] special guest star (2 episodes)
2017 Supergirl Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1"
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 4 Self VH1 Guest Judge; episode: "Snatch Game of Love"[32]
2020 Love, Victor Bram Greenfeld Hulu Guest star[33]
Equal Bayard Rustin HBO Max Docuseries
2021 Eden Cam Stan Main Role[34]

Awards and nominations
Year Nominated work Award Category Result Ref.
2018 Love, Simon MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Kiss (shared with Nick Robinson) Won [35]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Ship (shared with Nick Robinson) Nominated [36]
2021 Rainbow Boy GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist Pending [37]

References
  1. "Keiynan Lonsdale's 'Kiss The Boy' is the sweet, queer love song we deserve". ProjectTV. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  2. "True Urban Culture Magazine, Under The Radar: Keiynan Lonsdale". tucmag.net. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  3. "Chatting with Keiynan Lonsdale, actor. I'm Uriah in INSURGENT. AMA! : IAmA". Reddit.com. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  4. Anderson, Tre'vell (20 March 2018). "'Love, Simon's' Keiynan Lonsdale on playing Kid Flash and LGBTQ representation in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  5. "Keiynan Lonsdale on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. "From MTV VJ to Insurgent star in nine months". NewsComAu. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  7. "Divergent Sequel Insurgent Casts Keiynan Lonsdale As Uriah". 20 June 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  8. "Instagram". Instagram. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  9. Garofalo, Alex. "'The Flash' Star Keiynan Lonsdale Previews Wally West Debut, Sibling Rivalry With Barry, And Reveals He Auditioned For Firestorm". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  10. Goldman, Eric (5 August 2015). "The Flash: Wally West Cast for Season 2". IGN.com. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  11. "Keiynan Lonsdale Leaves The Flash for Legends of Tomorrow". TV Guide. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  12. "Keiynan Lonsdale On 'Love, Simon' and the Joy of Leaving the Closet". 13 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. "'Love, Simon' Star Keiynan Lonsdale Talks Coming Out on Set". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  14. "Love, Simon (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  15. "'Love, Simon': Your first look at 2018's major studio gay teen romance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  16. Lang, Brent (9 March 2018). "'Love, Simon' Stars Say Gay Teen Romance Will Save Lives". Variety. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  17. Calvario, Liz (11 September 2019). "Camila Cabello Drops Theatrical 'Liar' Music Video – Watch". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  18. Keiynan Lonsdale – Rainbow Dragon (Official Music Video), retrieved 6 October 2019
  19. "Keiynan Lonsdale Performs Hits From Rainbow Boy on Billboard Live at-Home". Billboard. 11 October 2020.
  20. Julia (15 May 2020). "Keiynan Lonsdale Releasing Debut Album May 29". Nerds and Beyond. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  21. Garofalo, Alex. "'The Flash' Star Keiynan Lonsdale on His Music Career: Record Labels Said 'I Was Too Black For Pop And Not Black Enough For This'". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  22. Longhetti, Chloe-Lee (15 May 2014). "Keiynan Lonsdale headed for the US in hope to sign record label". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  23. Ellenbogen, Rachael (31 August 2017). "'The Flash' Star Keiynan Lonsdale Drops New Single 'Good Life'". International Business Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  24. Riddell, Rose (29 May 2018). "Interview: Keiynan Lonsdale on his single, 'Kiss The Boy'". Coup de Main. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  25. Moore, Matt (30 June 2018). "Keiynan Lonsdale releases music video for his latest single Preach". Gay Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  26. Radic, Randy (18 September 2019). "Keiynan Lonsdale Releases Fearless New Single "Rainbow Dragon"". Pop Dust. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  27. Duffy, Nick (14 April 2020). "Love, Simon star Keiynan Lonsdale declares himself the 'Gay Street Fighter' in defiant and proud new single". Pink News. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  28. "See You There (single)". Apple Music. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  29. "SINGLES TO RADIO ISSUE 1356". themusicnetwork.com. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  30. N'Duka, Amanda (2 July 2019). "Jordan Fisher, Drew Ray Tanner, Michelle Buteau Join Sabrina Carpenter in Netflix Dance Comedy 'Work It'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  31. Dino-Ray Ramos (5 June 2018). "Keiynan Lonsdale Not Returning as Series Regular on The Flash or Legends of Tomorrow". Deadline Hollywood.
  32. "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" Snatch Game of Love (TV Episode 2018) – IMDb, retrieved 17 August 2019
  33. Love, Simon TV Show Spinoff Trailer Confirms Another Movie Actor Returns, retrieved 27 May 2020
  34. Eden (2021) Cast & Crew Production Details, retrieved 5 November 2021
  35. Schulman, Alissa (18 June 2018). "2018 MTV Movie & TV Award Winners". MTV News. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  36. Evans, Greg (22 June 2018). "Teen Choice Awards: 'Black Panther', 'Solo', 'Riverdale' Lead Nominations – List". Deadline. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  37. https://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/32/nominees
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